Apologies.

Feb 13th

As Anthony and I see it, we gained some "tough points" (as opposed to "weenie points") last night as we slept in the rain (one of the few times it rains here in the summer). I am pleased to say that Anthony and I travel like two joeys in a pouch (I don’t know the biology, but for the sake of metaphor, I shall assume this is a good thing). Rain sounds much louder in a bivy sack.
We fought a hard wind during the 60 km to Cocklebiddy. It gets its name from the piles of shells around the coast (cockles) and "biddy" is the aboriginal word for "water" in this area.

Today Australia apologized to the stolen generation and for other acts of injustice done to Aboriginal people under the authority of the Australian government since white settlers arrived. This is like the US government apologizing to African and Native Americans for all injustices done since 1776.

I’m not going to pick a side, nor will I discuss reparations, but in my personal life I have usually found that an unequivocal, unqualified apology can usually bring smoother relations down the road. It seems hard, but it's free. Most importantly, it seems to make both parities feel pretty damn good in the long run, as well as making people more willing to work together. I imagine (and hope) it will do the same for Australia.